2. Consider your product. If you are creating packaging designs for a t-shirt, you most likely are not going to design a box for the t-shirt. You would most likely design a tag that would hang off of one of the sleeves of the t-shirt. If you are creating packaging designs for ground coffee, you would most likely design a bag of some sort that could hold the coffee.

3. Research. Find examples of other packaging designs and labels from different brands. If your product is soap, what do other companies do to package and sell their soap? Do they include a story of the company? Do they describe the benefits of using their soap? Do you need to include nutrition facts or warnings on your packaging? For example, if your product has small parts that could potentially be a choking hazard for babies, the law REQUIRES that you include a label that says:

"⚠ WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD- Children under 3 yrs. can choke or suffocate on small parts"

Other things to consider include other warnings. Is your product flammable? Should it be used by pregnant women or children? Can the product be used in ways that are illegal (huffing paint or glue for example)? Can the product and/or product packaging be recycled?

Here is an example of a label of nail polish:

4. Include geographical information. What is the name of the company that sells the product? Where is this company located? Is the product made in the USA or in a different country? Just like the nail polish example above, you will see that geographical information informs the customer where their product comes from. This is growing in importance as more people try to buy local and USA made products.

5. Barcodes are important. Packaging and label designs almost always have a barcode attached. However, it is not as simple as just sticking a barcode sticker on the back of a product. If the barcode is too small, it can be very hard to scan at the cash register. If the barcode is too large, it can be distracting to the design and customers may purchase a different product that doesn't look so "commercial". The color of the barcode can also affect the design. You should always use contrasting colors for barcodes to make them scannable such as the following:

6. Create packaging and label designs "in the round". This means that if you are creating a box or bag for your product, you will most likely need a template to design ALL sides of the box or bag. Even tags or other labels should be designed "in the round" referring to all sides of the tag or label. For example, this wine box is designed by laying out the template for the box and designing each side, so that when put together, it creates a 3-D container.

Here is another example of a label design:
Notice how the label was designed with the "front" on the left and the "back" on the right? This label would wrap around a can of hairspray to be sold. This was designed "in the round". The graphic designer did not just create the front of design-- they created the ENTIRE package/label.

Requirements for your packaging or label design that your design must include:

-Directions on the back of the label-Weight or contents of package. For example, if you are selling a box of 20 truffle chocolates, you need to include a label that says something like "Includes 20 truffles". If your nail polish contains 10 mL of nail polish, it should say "10 mL" at the bottom of the bottle. If your bag of coffee contains 16 oz of coffee, it should say "16 oz" at the bottom of the bag.-Warnings or other labels- choking hazards, chemical hazards, recyclable etc.